Was boy's death really a murder?

A nine-year-old boy who died in hospital may have been the victim of a saboteur, police said yesterday.

Tony Clowes's oxygen tube became blocked after he was put under anaesthetic for a minor operation.

An investigation initially centred on whether the tube had been used too often. But yesterday it was revealed that a man almost died in a near-identical incident two weeks later at a hospital 15 miles away.

Experts say such mishaps are incredibly rare - and now detectives are trying to discover if one was a case of murder.

The hospitals, both in Essex, are not part of the same NHS trust, but police are checking whether they have any shared staff. They will also be questioning workers at the factories where the tubes were made.

Detective Superintendent Win Bernard, leading the investigation, said: 'We are keeping an open mind and sabotage is one possibility.'

A source close to the inquiry said: 'It may be that this is a bizarre coincidence but we have to find out.'

Tony's father George said: 'We want the truth and we want justice. If there has been any malpractice we hope it can be cleared up so nothing like this can ever happen again.'

His son died on July 18 after going into the Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, for an operation to repair a finger damaged in a cycling accident.

He was still in the preop room when the blocked tube starved his brain of oxygen, causing massive and irreversible damage.

It was then discovered that the tube appeared to have been in use for six weeks, despite the fact that it was designed to be thrown away after being used just once.

On August 2, another blocked tube was discovered in a pre-op room at the Basil-don Hospital, 15 miles from Chelmsford.

This time staff noticed the problem as the tube was being connected, and there was no lasting damage to the patient, a man in his forties.

Tony's death was referred to police by a coroner, and the investigation was widened to cover both incidents.

Mr Bernard said similar pipes were used at both hospitals. Tony's family, who live in Dagenham, said they were shocked by news of the second incident.

Mr Clowes, 44, said: 'It brought everything back to us. But if Tony's death caused the extra vigilance which avoided another tragedy, then maybe it wasn't a total waste of a life.'

Speaking about his son's death for the first time, he said: 'When Tony went into hospital we were anticipating a straightforward operation. We had talked about what he would and wouldn't be able to do when he got home.

'I explained that he wouldn't be able to go swimming on holiday because he would have to keep his finger dry.

'They dressed him in a gown and I went with him to the anaesthetic room. Once he had gone to sleep I went back to the ward to wait for him. Then they came and told me he had died.'

Mr Clowes, who works for a pharmaceuticals firm, held his wife Carol's hand as he said: 'Tony was a wonderful kid. He loved to learn, he loved playing, reading and using computers and being on his bike.

'And he liked helping others - if a new boy started at his school he would show them the ropes. He was one in a million.'

The couple have another son, Andrew, seven, and Mrs Clowes has a daughter Dionne, 17, from a previous relationship.

After Tony's death the NHS Eastern Region, which covers both hospitals, warned all staff that disposable plastic tubes were not to be re-used.

Nigel Offen, the region's head of clinical quality, admitted yesterday that it had become 'custom and practice' for staff to re-use the tubes, which cost less than £1. He denied that there had been an instruction to do so.

Mr Offen said a warning had gone out to hospitals across the country. 'It could have been this which saved the life of the patient at Basildon,' he said.

Three Broomfield staff, including the anaesthetists involved, are still off work recovering from the shock of Tony's death. Mr Offen emphasised that they had not been suspended.

Professor Peter Hutton, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said it was 'not uncommon practice' to re-use tubes, to save money and avoid having to store large quantities.

He said: 'They stamp it "for single use only" to prevent cross-infection rather than the integrity of the tubing being at risk. We get round that in England by including a viral filter.'